Thorsten Martin Leucker, MD, PhD

Dr. Thorsten M. Leucker is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Director of Basic and Translational Vascular Biology Research within the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease.

His clinical work focuses on cardiac critical care and Dr. Leucker attends regularly in the Cardiac Critical Care Unit (CCU) at Johns Hopkins Hospital. While attending in the CCU, Dr. Leucker manages the care of cardiac patients with critical heart disease and teaches and mentors residents and fellows in the treatment of these patients as well as the mechanisms responsible for cardiac disease and strategies to decrease the likelihood of future events. In addition, Dr. Leucker is a core faculty member with the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, attends in the Advanced Lipid Disorders Clinic and he is a Diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Lipidology.

Dr. Leucker earned M.D. and Ph.D. degrees awarded summa cum laude from the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University in Bonn, Germany. He trained in Internal Medicine at the University of Louisville in Kentucky and received Cardiology training at Johns Hopkins.  He was chosen to serve as the Henry R. Kravis & Marie-Josée Chief Cardiology Fellow during his final year of fellowship and was awarded the Howard S. Silverman Research Award for originality and creativity in medical research and the Stanley L. Blumenthal, M.D. Cardiology Research Award in Clinical Research. Additionally, he was recognized with numerous Young Investigator awards by several chapters of the American College of Cardiology, and by the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation. 

Dr. Leucker is a physician-scientist and runs a basic vascular laboratory at Johns Hopkins as well as several translational clinical trials to better understand the impact of vascular inflammation in patients with acute coronary syndrome. In his basic laboratory, he investigates the impact of pro-inflammatory mediators on basic endothelial cell function. In addition, Dr. Leucker is the principal investigator on several intra- and extra-mural research grants investigating underlying mechanisms of pro-inflammatory disease states, such as diabetes, HIV infection and aging, on vascular and myocardial dysfunction. To test endothelial cell function and assess vascular inflammation in patients, he uses imaging modalities such as positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). 

Dr. Leucker has published more than 50 articles and book chapters and has been a referee for numerous journals including Circulation, Circulation Research, Hypertension, and American Journal of Physiology- Heart and Circulatory Physiology. He is a review editorial board member for Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, Striated Muscle Physiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology.

Dr. Leucker is a professional member of the National Lipid Association (NLA), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and American Heart Association (AHA), and Member of the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB).